The Heart of Cross-Cultural Mindfulness - April 2024

THE HEART OF CROSS-CULTURAL MINDFULNESS

“Love is a blessed mystery.

                        It is like gravity: vast, invisible, the unstoppable force that connects all things.”

--Anonymous---

This four-week class is a continuation of the Introduction to Cross-Cultural Mindfulness taught for the first time last January. We will be deepening our training and practice of Cross-Cultural Mindfulness principles. There is no need to have completed the training of the first class. We will embark on new material and framework that will anchor our connection to our authentic self and each other.

Each week we will practice mindfulness meditation and embodied mindfulness movement to cultivate the exploration of the Four Boundless Qualities through the flow of our own bodies.

This class is open to all levels of mindfulness practice. 

Practicint T'ai Chi Chih Together, a Mindful Movement Meditation:

T'ai Chi Chih is a moving meditation that gathers the chi/the life force energy from the earth and circulates the chi in our bodies. Practiced together, we create a profound synergy and ever deepening experience of interconnectedness. The easy-to-learn accessible movements, practiced standing or seated, invite softness and continuity and can release tension, negativity, and stress. This leads to a sense of healing and wholeness for ourselves and for the land on which we practice. We can embody qualities such as gratitude, equanimity and compassion with various moves as we align our bodies, hearts and minds. Generating and balancing the chi, we bring stillness and calm in the midst of movement and activity.

As we prepare to open our sangha, we would like to get to know each of you a bit more and what brings you here. We request for you to please fill out The Heart of Cross-Cultural Mindfulness Participant Information Form by March 31st, 2024. This is part of the registration process. 

Teachers:

Carol Cano (Braided Wisdom Founder/Lead Teacher) 

Carol Cano, M.A., began her practice over 35 years ago at Wat Kow Tahm in Thailand and has actively engaged in building communities and teaching Dharma internationally.  She is a teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.  She is a core teacher and a former board member of East Bay Meditation Center. Carol co-founded Philippine Insight Meditation Community in the Philippines.

Her unique teachings are deeply grounded in Basque, Native American and Buddhist influences that braid the Dharma along with Indigenous wisdom and earth-based practices. Her psychology background gives her a unique view into the human condition, which helps her hold community in a compassionate and confident manner.  Carol reminds us to keep grounded in our hearts as we uphold spiritual ideals and encourages us to remain balanced within the demands of modern life. To find out more about Carol, please visit www.carolcano.com.

Imee Contreras (Mindfulness Teacher/Co-Teacher)  

Imee Contreras, CMT-P, is the founder of Mindfulness Asia.  She is co-founder of the Philippine Insight Meditation Community and Nibbāna Forest Refuge. She is a mentor for Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification Program, where she co-facilitates the Third Space in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Accessibility Program. She is the Mindfulness Teacher of Braided Wisdom's Leadership Training Program and a Co-Teacher for the Original Medicine Yearlong Program.

She develops and facilitates innovative mindfulness programs for international companies, schools, and events. She volunteers to teach incarcerated women serving life imprisonment and supports sexually abused women and children. 

She spent a large part of her younger years growing up in the United States and is now based in her motherland, the Philippines.  She is mixed-race, adopted, and raised by hard-working, lower-middle-class, immigrant Filipinos.  She is a mother, an organic gardener, a health and wellness advocate, and a yoga therapist.

https://www.mindfulnessasia.com/

Janet Roos (Teaching Assistant)  

Janet E. Roos, PMP, CMT-P, has been recognized as an innovator in Business Technology for over 30 years. She has worked coast-to-coast as a highly respected “In-House” and “Consultant” leader for world renown companies. Janet completed the UCLA Mindfulness Certified Training Program and is a certified member of the International Mindfulness Teacher’s Association. She is a co-teacher for Braided Wisdom's Original Medicine Yearlong Program. Janet is a four time “Hall Of Famer” recognized elite athlete who understands the inherent value of employing Mindfulness Practices for competition, sports preparedness, and training. She has sustained a personal meditation practice for over a decade and has attended numerous training and silent retreats. Janet has volunteered with Non-Profit Organizations and currently serves on two non-profit boards. 

Jenn Biehn (Mindful Movement Teacher)  

Jenn Biehn enjoys being a queer elder mentor and movement meditation teacher for the Braided Wisdom Leadership Training Program.  She co-facilitates the Braided Wisdom white awakening & healing pod. She co-facilitates Honoring Eldership - Walking the Path Together at East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC).   Through Neighbors for Racial Justice, a community based organization in Oakland, she co-facilitates workshops in Transforming White Privilege on the Path to Racial Equity.  Jenn’s spiritual practice includes engaging with nature through cross country skiing and backpacking in the High Sierra, where she also takes younger spiritual seekers on side-by-side solo retreats to overcome their fears of the wild.  She delights in sharing Tai Chi Chih - Joy through Movement as a circle practice under the redwoods at Oakland’s Dimond Park and continues to embody awareness and healing movement in her life-long journey of building community.

Jenn was an instructor and administrator at City College of San Francisco from 1977-2011, where she mentored, taught, and actively engaged in collaborative and inclusive leadership skills. As a peer-led sangha builder and movement teacher at EBMC for the past 12 years, she co-founded Restorative Practices for Dharma Practitioners Sangha, Midday Sangha, and Dharma in Motion.  She also served on the Board of Directors/Leadership Sangha from 2016-2019 and helped to develop EBMC’s strategic plan

Schedule:

Mondays

6:00 - 8:30 pm PT

April 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2024

Reciprocity Contribution Levels:

Benefactor Tier:  $240.00

• The Benefactor Tier supports the largest partial contribution for a fellow community member.

Spiritual Friend Tier:  $180.00

• The Spiritual Friend Tier supports partial contribution for a fellow community member.

Supporter Tier:  $120.00

• The Supporter Tier supports most of the program cost.

Community Builder Tier:  $60.00

• The Community Builder Tier supports some of the program cost.

Braided Wisdom Leadership Training Program graduate: Complementary gift

Please reach out to the Braided Wisdom Team, info@braidedwisdom.org, if you need to discuss another option. 

We request participants attend the whole program to respect the container of the class and the teachers. We understand that life happens, and if you know you will miss more than one class, we recommend that you join at a time when you are available for all the sessions. Your presence and engagement in the class is essential for the course. 

Refund Policy:

If you wish to withdraw from the course prior to the April 1st start date, you will be given a full refund minus a $25.00 cancellation fee. Once the course begins, there will be no refunds.

This event registration is for the The Heart of Cross-Cultural Mindfulness Program starting on April 1, 2024.

** All classes are online via Zoom**  

A Zoom Link will be emailed every Monday morning prior to the Monday evening event dates. Please check your spam folder if you do not see the zoom link email.

If you have any questions, please email info@braidedwisdom.org.